Leaving the Witch Behind
by Christina Pip-Palin
Summary: Nat's point of view of saving Hannah...first fanfic..please review


Nat's POV

As the Dolphin was approaching the dreary and slightly insane town of Wethersfield, I found myself conflicting in emotion. Happiness, because I would see my longtime friend Hannah and then dejection, because I would not be able to visit Kit, the woman I loved. I was banished from ever showing my face in Wethersfield...and Kit was going to marry that William Ashby fellow. At this thought, anger and jealousy coursed through my veins.

Snap out of it! I though angrily. She'll be happy! Get back to work! As I bent over to finish tying down a rope, I heard a cry.

"Help! Help!"

When I heard the shout, I was sprinting to the lifeboat. As Sean and I were rushing to get the lifeboat down, I was able to catch more shouting.

"Ahoy! All hands! Man overboard!"

"Tis a woman!"

At this Sean said, "I'd wager that is your pretty girl from Barbados, who has captured your eye." When we hit the water, all I was able to see was a flash of golden hair and flailing hands that soon grasped the side of the small watercraft.

"I knew it!" Sean groaned.

"Kit! What kind of game is this?" I was slightly exasperated at her but nonetheless happy to see her.

"Hannah-she is in terrible trouble, Nat. They burned her house"-damn them all-"Please, can you take on the Dolphin?" As Kit was explaining, we pulled her into the boat. When she was safely inside, I looked over her carefully, to see if they had hurt her. When I saw she was just shaken up and cold, I demanded the entire story. I shouted above to the crew that we were going ashore.

"There by that pile of logs. We've been there all night. I didn't know what to do and when I saw the ship-" she started to sob. I put my arms around her, and she shivered in my arms, buried her face in my chest and continued telling the story. "They-they came to the house and s-said they w-were going on a WI-witch hunt. I ran ahead of them and got Hannah. Th-then they ch-chased us through th-the cornfield and one man came close to finding us."

"Tis all right, Kit," I said over and over. "We'll take you both on and get you some dry clothes. Just hold on for a few minutes more until we get Hannah." When we got to the shore, Hannah, dazed, agreed to come aboard. However, after a few steps, she stopped, saying she would not continue without her cat. She begged me to find her, saying the cat would be brokenhearted without a home and without Hannah. As I consented, I glimpsed a furious look on Kit's face.

"You're crazy, Nat!" she protested with chattering teeth. "No cat is worth it. You've got to get her out of here. If you could have heard those people-"

"If she's set on that cat, she's going to have it. They've taken everything else." I saw the remains of what used to be Hannah's house. "Damn them! Curse all of them!" as I kicked a log. We searched through Hannah's garden and heard a meow. I saw her cautiously crawling out from under a pumpkin vine. She did not want not be captured. Kit and I stalked her; Kit on one side and me on the other. Finally, I dove completely under a bush and wrapped her in my shirt. When Kit saw me shirtless, she flushed. When we returned to the shore, Hannah's face lit up and she joyfully took the squirming bundle and stepped into the rowboat.

"Come on, Kit. Father will go on without us."

"I'm not going, Nat. I have to stay here." Of couse, I had forgotten. She was to be married. "Tis Mercy. She's terribly ill. I couldn't go, I just couldn't, not knowing. Staring into her eyes, I took a step closer, drowning in her brown eyes.

"Kit-" I said as I was interrupted from a call from the ship.

"Nat, quick! They'll hear the shouting!" I jumped into the boat.

"You'll be all right? You need to get warm-"

"I'll go home now. Only hurry!" As we rowed away, I raised one hand, as to say, "Farewell" and she repeated the gesture. The look upon her face was once of longing. Did she really want to come? The she turned and ran away. We hadn't gotten more than two mile down the river, when I realized I had left the real witch behind.


End file.
